| Abstrakt: |
With technology advancing at lightning speed, new forensic investigatory techniques have been developed. However, some convictions in criminal cases still depend on old and traditional techniques like using tracking dogs or K-9. It is common knowledge, dogs are intelligent animals and have keen sense of smell. In the early days, courts in America were hesitant to accept evidence from tracking dogs and have expressed many concerns in particular of dogs drawing inferences. However, tracking dog evidence has been accepted by courts in America since a decade ago. As dogs cannot go to the witness box to give evidence in court, their handlers are allowed to give evidence on behalf of their dogs in relation to the tracking and tracing. Courts in other jurisdictions have regarded dog handlers as an expert witness. This causes their opinions to be accepted as expert evidence. This writing discusses on the usage of tracking dogs by law enforcement agencies. Besides that, this articles also discusses the admissibility of tracking dog evidence by the courts in America. The methodology employed in this paper are descriptive, doctrinal, analytic and prescriptive in which case law, journal and books pertaining tracking dog evidence are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
